Method and apparatus for optimal nock travel for a compound archery bow

ABSTRACT

The invention is a method and apparatus for correcting the natural nock travel of a compound bow. The bow has a cable guard rod attached to a riser supporting a cable slide at an angle to the nock travel path. The rod has a distal portion attached to the riser, a central portion angled upward relative to the distal portion, and, a proximal portion angled downward so as to form an exterior angle falling within the range of 25-40° between the proximal and distal portions of the cable guard rod. The bow has a cam mounted on an upper limb, a cam mounted on a lower limb, and two cables which are connected to the first cam, pass through the cable slide, and are connected to the second cam. There is also a bow string connected between the cams which can be drawn rearward then released to provide energy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a compoundarchery bow of a type used for hunting, target shooting, or relatedactivities. More specifically, the present invention relates to a methodand system for stabilizing the nock point travel of a compound bow so asto optimize the bow's accuracy while reducing wear on cables caused bycam tilt forces.

2. Description of the Related Art

Compound archery bows, such as that shown in FIG. 1, generally provide anumber of benefits over traditional bows (also known as long bows). Theystore a lot more energy due to the profiles of the cams which flex thelimbs while the bow is drawn. This results in an arrow that is shot withhigher velocity and more energy. They also provide another importantbenefit over traditional bows, in that when the bow is drawn to itsmaximum point, the cams provide a mechanical advantage to the archerthat reduces the holding weight of the bow by approximately 75-80%.

A traditional bow has a bow string, a handle and an upper and a lowerlimb. One end of a bowstring is attached to the upper limb of the bowwhile the other end of the string is attached to the lower limb. With atypical compound bow, however, as is shown in FIG. 1, the bow has a bowstring 8, a handle 40, two limbs 46 a, 46 b, plus one or two cables 4, 6which are fastened to the cam or cams 30 a, 30 b or limb(s) 46 a, 46 b,plus a cable guard rod 10 and cable slide 2 or, in an alternative, aroller cable guard 18 (as is shown in FIG. 3).

The cables 4, 6 are in the path of the arrow 14 (as is shown in FIG. 4)and its fletching when shot, and must be offset 20 (see FIG. 4) from theline of arrow travel to prevent collision of the arrow 14 and itsfletching 12 into the cables 4, 6. The cams 30 a, 30 b should bedesigned in such a way as to provide an arrow launch that is as straightas possible, both vertical and horizontally.

Turning to FIG. 6, there is shown a top view of the nocking point travelof the typical compound bow. Accuracy may be degraded by an arrow launchthat is not straight and/or has a vertical path that deviates from areference plane that is perpendicular to the string. Lateral motion isdefined by deviation from a plane that is perpendicular to the limbs 46a, 46 b (see FIG. 1) or its “natural travel path” 28 (see FIG. 12A).Deviation from the natural travel path degrades accuracy.

The natural travel path 28 is always negatively affected by offsettingthe cables 4, 6. Virtually all compound bows made today have a cableguard 10 (see FIG. 1) in one form or another, and they offset the cables4, 6 to provide clearance for the arrow and its fletching. This isrequired when the arrow is launched/shot. Typically, the bow's cablesare confined within a cable slide 2 that mounts on a cable guard rod 10which is mounted in the riser 16; or, a roller cable guard 18 (see FIG.3) which is mounted on the riser 16.

Turning to FIG. 3, there is shown an enlargement of the end view of aprior art compound bow. The cables are held offset 20 through the entiredraw cycle.

Some bows (such as that shown in FIG. 3) use a fixed set of rollers 18to confine the cables 4, 6 to achieve the required fletching clearance20. The rollers are generally fixed to bracket 22 that is fastened tothe bow's riser 16. The cables are held offset to provide fletchingclearance 20 through the entire draw cycle.

It is not generally understood what affect a cable guard and theresulting cable offset has on the flight of the arrow, the nockingpoint, bow string travel, and the resulting arrow flight aberration asis illustrated in FIG. 5. Additionally, the twisting of the bow handle40 in the archer's hand 42 also produces flight aberration that isunique to the archer (see FIG. 7).

The string travel when measured at the arrow nocking point 26 located onthe bow string 8 with absolute minimum cable guard offset follows a paththat is essentially straight and perpendicular to the bow's limbs asthey are flexed—its “natural travel path”.

Turning next to FIG. 5, there is shown a side view of the cam tiltingforces at play during the typical draw cycle of a compound bow. Theaddition of a cable guard 10 and the cable offset 20 imposes a side load48 on the bow's cam(s) 30 a, 30 b which causes a tilt 32 and a change inposition of the bow string with respect to its natural travel path. Thetilting 32 increases as the bow is drawn and reaches its peak drawweight (see FIG. 11A). This effect imposes much higher loads on the camaxles 34 a, 34 b; and, therefore, the cams 30 a, 30 b by the flexure ofthe limbs 46 which increases dramatically as the bow is drawn. Duringthis latter action, the loads can be as high as 400 lbs. These highloads imposed off center on the cams create a very large load imbalance(see FIG. 11A) which causes the cam(s) to tilt. The cam(s) radius (seeFIGS. 11A and 11B) also increases through the draw cycle and moves thestring farther from the cam(s) center line producing a mechanicaladvantage for the archer drawing the bow; but, causing even more camtilting and lateral displacement of the bow string.

The combined effect of the cable guard offset and increasing cable loadsresults in a cam tilt that produces an angular lateral displacement ofthe bow string during the bow's draw cycle. It causes the bow to twistin the archer's hand and results in undesirable “angular nockingpoint/bow string travel”.

As is shown in FIG. 6, the bow string lateral displacement causes thearrow to be launched at an angle 50 which may be as high as 5 degreeswith regard to the bow string's natural string travel 28. When the arrowis shot, the bow string and nocking point does not align to the naturalstring travel 13. During launch, the arrow has an acceleration forceimposed upon it that is not aligned with the arrow centerline and itsnatural string travel, this creates a side acceleration force 36 on thearrow which is essentially 90 degrees to the arrow's center line. Thiscan result in arrow flight that slews back and forth, commonly known as“fishtailing”.

Turning to FIG. 7, there is shown a top view of the handle torque effectof a compound bow. The “angular nocking point/bow string travel” 24 alsoresults in a rotation or twisting of the bow in the archer's hand 42. Itis commonly referred to as “torque”. Although only a few degrees in bowrotation, torque is undesirable as it causes the arrow to fly to leftfor right handed archers, and to the right for left handed archers. Thisis detrimental to the archer achieving accurate and consistent arrowflight. The archer will have to try and compensate for this cable guardinduced error, “angular nocking point/bow string travel” 50.

The stock or existing angular nocking point/bow string travel 50, thenatural travel path 28, and the optimized nocking point/string travelmay be accurately verified by plotting their travel on a lateral nocktravel testing fixture. The optimized nocking point and string travelwill closely parallel the natural travel path.

What is not appreciated by the prior art are problems created by thecables being offset to provide fletching clearance, the unintendedconsequence of which is cam tilt. Therefore, an ideal condition would beto provide fletching clearance as the arrow's fletching approaches thecables, and quickly reduce the cable offset during the rest of the shot.This will result in a nocking point travel that closely follows thenatural string travel path 28 by virtually eliminating cam tilt.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus forproviding fletching clearance as the arrow's fletching approaches thecables, and quickly reducing the cable offset during the rest of theshot. This will result in a nocking point travel that closely followsthe natural string travel path 28 by virtually eliminating cam tilt. Theresult of an optimized nocking point/string travel which closely followsthe natural string path 28 also results in almost zero handle rotationand twisting of the bow in the archer's hand 42. The bow that is withouttorque/handle rotation will result in a bow with more accuracy andrepeatability in discharging the arrow and is considered to be“forgiving”.

Additionally, there is a need for a method and apparatus that optimizesarrow nocking point/bow string travel by closely following the naturalstring path, which is essentially straight with no side accelerationforces. This condition will impart the least possible lateral flightaberration.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF TH INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method andapparatus for providing fletching clearance as the arrow's fletchingapproaches the cables, and quickly reducing the cable offset during therest of the shot.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method andapparatus that optimizes arrow nocking point/bow string travel byclosely following the natural string path, which is essentially straightwith no side acceleration forces.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for correctingthe angular nock travel of a compound bow. The bow has a cable guard rodattached to a riser supporting a cable slide at an angle to the nocktravel path. The rod has a distal portion attached to the riser, acentral portion angled upward relative to the distal portion, and, aproximal portion angled downward so as to form an exterior angle fallingwithin the range of 25-40° between the proximal and distal portions ofthe cable guard rod. The bow has a cam mounted on an upper limb, a cammounted on a lower limb, and two cables which are connected to the firstcam, pass through the cable slide, and are connected to the second cam.There is also a bow string connected between the cams which can be drawnrearward then released to provide energy.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided amethod and apparatus for a compound archery bow of a type used forhunting, target shooting, or similar endeavor. The compound bow has ahandle and a riser, and at least an upper and a lower limb. A cableguard rod is attached to the riser; and is made in such a way as tosupport a cable slide at an angle to the nock travel path of thecompound bow. The cable slide is slidably mounted on the cable guardrod.

Additionally, the compound bow has a first cam, having a first cam axle,mounted on the upper limb; and, a second cam, having a second cam axle,is mounted on the bow's lower limb. The bow also has a first cable and asecond cable, wherein the first and second cables are connected to thefirst cam (or a wheel), pass through the cable slide, and are connectedto the second cam (or a wheel). There is also a bow string connected atone end to the first cam and at another end to the second cam.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the bow's cable guard rod isattached to the riser by securably inserting the rod within a supportingblock and mounting the supporting block on the riser. In an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the distal end of the cable guardrod is attached to directly to the riser by inserting the distal endwithin an opening of the riser. The cable guard rod, at least at thedistal end, is substantially perpendicular to the riser.

The cable guard rod can be made of any material suitable to the purposesuch as aluminum, steel, or a composite capable of maintaining rigiditywhile under pressure from the forces exerted on the compound bow duringoperation.

The cable guard rod can be manufactured as a single piece or as two ormore pieces and wherein the pieces are joined by any means such aswelding, screw and bolt combination, or similar process so as tomaintain performance of the cable guard rod.

The cable guard rod is fashioned so as to comprise three portions; theseinclude: a distal portion attached either directly, or indirectly, tothe riser and essentially perpendicular to the riser; a central portionattached to the distal portion and angled upward relative to the distalportion; and, a proximal portion attached to said central portion andangled downward so as to form an exterior angle falling within the rangeof 25-40° between the proximal and distal portions of the cable guardrod.

The cable guard slide is mounted on the cable guard rod so as to acceptthe first cable and the second cable passing therethrough. The forwardor rearward motion of the first and second cables causes the cable guardslide to slidably move along the cable guard rod in an angled pathrelative to the nock travel path.

As the bowstring is drawn rearward by a bow user during operation, thetop and bottom limbs of the compound bow flex rearward causing thecam(s) to rotate, thus shifting the first and second cables, and causingthe cable guard slide to move in a downward path along the proximalportion of the cable guard rod.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is included amethod of correcting the natural nock travel of a compound bow. Thecompound bow has a riser, an upper limb, a lower limb, a first cable, asecond cable, and at least one cam, and wherein the method comprises thestep of mounting a cable guard rod on the compound bow, the cable guardrod having a distal portion attached to the riser, a central portion,and a proximal portion. Additionally, the method includes mounting acable slide on the cable guard rod so as to support the cable slide atan angle to the travel path of an arrow being discharged by the compoundbow, and wherein the cable slide is slidably mounted on the cable guardrod.

A further set of steps of the method include: drawing a bowstringconnected at one end to the upper limb of the compound bow and at theopposite end to the lower limb of the compound bow, and causing theupper limb and the lower limb to flex rearward; and, rotating at leastone cam, so as to shift the first and second cables, and causing thecable guard slide to move in a downward path along the proximal portionof the cable guard rod. From that point, the method includes releasingthe bowstring to propel the bowstring and the arrow forward and causingthe first and second cables to move forward; and, in turn, moving thecable slide upward along the cable guard rod to allow the arrow to moveforward without making contact with the cable slide. This insurescorrection of the angular nock travel 24 of the compound bow by theangular movement of the cable slide, thus substantially eliminating camtilt.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention, will become apparent from the following description read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals designate the same elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical compound bow which couldbe adapted to support the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of a typical compound bow which could be adaptedto support the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a section elevational view of a typical compound bow using aroller cable guard.

FIG. 4 is an enlargement of the end view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the cam tilting forces at play during thetypical draw cycle of a compound bow.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the nocking point travel of the typical compoundbow.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the handle torque effect of a compound bow.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an embodiment of the cable guard rod of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a second embodiment of the cable guard rod ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a third embodiment of the cable guard rod ofthe present invention.

FIG. 11A is a graph of the loads and movements exerted by prior artcompound bows.

FIG. 11B is a chart of the loads and movements exerted by prior artcompound bows.

FIG. 12A is a graph of a nock travel plot of a first contemporary,commercially available, compound bow; and, the nock travel plot of thesame bow retrofitted with the present invention.

FIG. 12B is a graph of a nock travel plot of a second contemporary,commercially available, compound bow; and, the nock travel plot of thesame bow retrofitted with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of theinvention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawingsand the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. Thedrawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. Forpurposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such astop, bottom, up, down, over, above, and below may be used with respectto the drawings. These and similar directional terms should not beconstrued to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The words“connect,” “couple,” and similar terms with their inflectional morphemesdo not necessarily denote direct and immediate connections, but alsoinclude connections through mediate elements or devices.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated inFIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

Turning first to FIG. 8, there is shown a top view of an embodiment ofthe cable guard rod 10 assembly of the present invention. The assemblyhas a cable slide 2 profiled to provide fletching 12 and cable clearance20 when used with an optimized cable guard angle. The cable slide 2allows the cables 4, 6 to pass therethrough.

The cable guard rod 10/bracket 22 is mounted, either directly orindirectly, to the bow's riser 16 of the frame. The cable guard rod 10is comprised of two parts (an upper half and a lower half) and itscorresponding bracket 22. The cable guard rod 10 and bracket 22 can bemade of any material suitable to the purpose, though a preferredembodiment would be the use of aluminum or a composite. The bow's cables4, 6 are located in a cable slide 2 which slides on the cable guard rod10. The sliding block 2 has a means of locating and trapping the bow'scables to prevent them from contacting each other during normaloperation. The cable slide 2 must move laterally approximately 0.6″towards the arrow 14 within the rearward/forward motion determined bythe cable's 4, 6 movement to provide clearance 20 for the fletching 12.

There is created an exterior angle 25 from the upper portion of thecable guard rod 10 to the lower portion of the cable guard rod. Thelower portion of the cable guard rod 10 being essentially perpendicularto the riser 16. The actual angle of the cable guard rod 10 isdetermined by the rearward and forward displacement of the cables toresult in the lateral displacement of 0.6″. The angle 25, which ispreferably within the range of 25 to 40°, has been optimized to causethe nocking point/bow string offset to provide arrow 14 fletching 12clearance at the end of the shot and minimum clearance prior to thatpoint, this causes the nocking point and bowstring travel to closelyfollow the “natural string path” 28.

The cantilever load imposed by the fixed cable guard displacement on thecam(s) and or wheel, as previously discussed with reference to the priorart, causes the tilting which results in nock travel at an angle withrespect to the natural travel path. The substantial reduction in thecantilever load by the angled cable guard rod creates a nock travel thattracks essentially straight with respect to the natural travel path ofthe string/nocking point.

Turning next to FIG. 9, there is shown a top view of a second embodimentof the cable guard rod of the present invention.

The cable guard rod 10 is preferably a single piece which is mounted tothe bow's riser 16. The cable guard rod 10 can be made of any materialsuitable to the purpose, though a preferred embodiment would be the useof aluminum or a composite. The bow's cables 4, 6 are located in a cableslide 2 which slides on the cable guard rod 10. The cable slide 2 has ameans of locating and trapping the bow's cables to prevent them fromcontacting each other during normal operation. The cable slide 2 mustmove laterally approximately 0.6″ towards the arrow 14 within therearward/forward motion determined by the cable's 4, 6 movement so as toprovide clearance 20 for the fletching 12.

There is created an exterior angle 25 from the upper portion of thecable guard rod 10 to the lower portion of the cable guard rod. Thelower portion of the cable guard rod 10 is essentially perpendicular tothe riser 16. The actual angle of the cable guard rod 10 is determinedby the rearward and forward displacement of the cables to result in thelateral displacement of approximately 0.6″. The angle 25, which ispreferably within the range of 25 to 40°, has been optimized to causethe nocking point/bow string offset to provide arrow 14 fletching 12clearance 20 at the end of the shot and minimum clearance prior to thatpoint, this causes the nocking point and bowstring travel to closelyfollow the “natural string path” 28.

As with FIG. 8, the cantilever load imposed by the fixed cable guarddisplacement on the cam(s) and or wheel, as previously discussed withreference to the prior art, causes the tilting which results in nocktravel at an angle with respect to the natural travel path. Thesubstantial reduction in the cantilever load by the angled cable guardrod creates a nock travel that tracks essentially straight with respectto the natural travel path of the string/nocking point.

With reference next to FIG. 10, there is shown a top view of a thirdembodiment of the cable guard rod of the present invention.

The cable guard rod 10/block 44 is mounted, either directly orindirectly, to the bow's riser 16 of the frame. The cable guard rod 10is comprised of two parts (an upper half and a lower half) and itscorresponding block 44. The cable guard rod 10 and bracket 22 can bemade of any material suitable to the purpose, though a preferredembodiment would be the use of aluminum or a composite. The bow's cables4, 6 are located in a cable slide 2 which slides on the cable guard rod10. The sliding block 2 has a means of locating and trapping the bow'scables to prevent them from contacting each other during normaloperation. The cable slide 2 must move laterally approximately 0.6″towards the arrow 14 within the rearward/forward motion determined bythe cable's 4, 6 movement.

There is created an exterior angle 25 from the upper portion of thecable guard rod 10 to the lower portion of the cable guard rod 10. Thelower portion of the cable guard rod 10 is essentially perpendicular tothe riser 16. The actual angle of the cable guard rod 10 is determinedby the rearward and forward displacement of the cables to result in thelateral displacement of 0.6″. The angle 25, which is preferably withinthe range of 25 to 40°, has been optimized to cause the nockingpoint/bow string offset to provide arrow 14 fletching 12 clearance 20 atthe end of the shot and minimum clearance prior to that point, thiscauses the nocking point and bowstring travel to closely follow the“natural string path” 28.

As with FIGS. 8 and 9, the cantilever load imposed by the fixed cableguard displacement on the cam(s) and or wheel, as previously discussedwith reference to the prior art, causes the tilting which results innock travel at an angle with respect to the natural travel path. Thesubstantial reduction in the cantilever load by the angled cable guardrod creates a nock travel that tracks essentially straight with respectto the natural travel path of the string/nocking point.

FIG. 11A is a graph of the axle load and draw force (in lbs.) on thex-axis relative to the draw length (in inches) on the y-axis, and thecable offset and cam radius of the x′-axis. These plots are used toillustrate the effects on: cam axle load; stock cable offset; the cableoffset of the present invention; draw forces; and, the cam radius at thestring.

By referring back to FIG. 5, the graph of FIG. 11A, can be placed incontext. The addition of a cable guard 10 and the cable offset 20imposes a side load 48 on the bow's cam(s) 30 a, 30 b which causes atilt 32 and a change in position of the bow string with respect to itsnatural travel path. The tilting 32 increases as the bow is drawn andreaches its peak draw weight. This effect imposes much higher loads onthe cam axles 34 a, 34 b; and, therefore, the cams 30 a, 30 b by theflexure of the limbs 46 which increases dramatically as the bow isdrawn. During this latter action, the loads can be as high as 400 lbs.These high loads imposed off center on the cams create a very large loadimbalance which causes the cam(s) to tilt. The cam(s) radius alsoincreases through the draw cycle and moves the string farther from thecam(s) center line producing a mechanical advantage for the archerdrawing the bow; but, causing even more cam tilting and lateraldisplacement of the bow string.

FIG. 11B is a chart of the values derived from the plot of FIG. 11A ofthe axle load and draw force (in lbs.) on the x-axis relative to thedraw length (in inches) on the y-axis, and the cable offset and camradius of the x′-axis. These plots are used to illustrate the effectson: cam axle load; stock cable offset; the cable offset of the presentinvention; draw forces; and, the cam radius at the string.

Turning to FIG. 12A, there is shown, by way of example, a graph of: anock travel plot of a first contemporary, commercially available,compound bow; and, the nock travel plot of the same bow retrofitted withthe present invention.

The baseline 28, or natural travel path, of the specific bow representsthe movement of the string if no extraneous forces were acting upon it.The angular nocking point 24, or actual bow string travel path, is theaccumulation of forces that have caused this particular bow string todeviate from the baseline 28. In this case, the deviation 52 is 5°. Whenthe present invention is retrofitted to this particular bow, thecorrected travel path 29 results in a deviation 50 of 0° 30′.

In reviewing the advantageous result of the present invention, we turnnext to FIG. 12B where there is shown, by way of example, a graph of anock travel plot of: a second contemporary, commercially available,compound bow; and, the nock travel plot of the same bow retrofitted withthe present invention.

The baseline 28, or natural travel path, of the specific bow representsthe movement of the string if no extraneous forces were acting upon it.The angular nocking point 24, or actual bow string travel path, is theaccumulation of forces that have caused this particular bow string todeviate from the baseline 28. In this case, the deviation 52 is 2° 48′When the present invention is retrofitted to this particular bow, thecorrected travel path 29 results in a deviation 50 of 0° 6′.

In the claims, means or step-plus-function clauses are intended to coverthe structures described or suggested herein as performing the recitedfunction and not only structural equivalents but also equivalentstructures. Thus, for example, although a nail, a screw, and a bolt maynot be structural equivalents in that a nail relies on friction betweena wooden part and a cylindrical surface, a screw's helical surfacepositively engages the wooden part, and a bolt's head and nut compressopposite sides of a wooden part, in the environment of fastening woodenparts, a nail, a screw, and a bolt may be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art as equivalent structures.

Having described at least one of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various changes, modifications, and adaptationsmay be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing fromthe scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A compound bow having a handle and a riser, said compound bow furthercomprising: (a) a plurality of limbs; (b) a cable guard rod attached tosaid riser and wherein said cable guard rod is fashioned so as tosupport a cable slide at an angle to the nock travel path of saidcompound bow; and, wherein further said cable slide is slidably mountedon said cable guard rod so as to reduce the cantilever load on a set ofone or more cams or wheels; (c) a first cam or first wheel comprisingsaid set of one or more cams or wheels, having a first axle, mounted onan upper one of said plurality of limbs; (d) a second cam or secondwheel comprising said set of one or more cams or wheels, having a secondaxle, mounted on a lower one of said plurality of limbs; (e) a firstcable and a second cable, wherein said first and said second cables areconnected to said first cam or said first wheel, pass through said cableslide, and are connected to said second cam or said second wheel; and(f) a bow string connected at one end to said first cam or said firstwheel and at another end to said second cam or said second.
 2. Thecompound bow of claim 1, wherein said cable guard rod is attached tosaid riser by securably inserting said rod within a supporting block andmounting said supporting block on said riser.
 3. The compound bow ofclaim 1, wherein the distal end of said cable guard rod is attached tosaid riser and is substantially perpendicular to said riser.
 4. Thecompound bow of claim 1, wherein the distal end of said cable guard rodis securably attached to said riser by inserting said distal end withinan opening of said riser.
 5. The compound bow of claim 1, wherein saidcable guard rod is made from a material chosen from the group consistingof: (a) aluminum; (b) a composite capable of maintaining rigidity whileunder pressure from a set of forces exerted by said compound bow duringoperation; and (c) steel.
 6. The compound bow of claim 1, wherein theangle of said cable guard rod is determined by the displacement of saidfirst and second cables to result in a lateral displacement of saidcable slide so as to provide clearance for fletching of an arrow to beshot by said compound bow.
 7. The compound bow of claim 1, wherein saidcable guard rod is manufactured as a single piece.
 8. The compound bowof claim 1, wherein said cable guard rod is manufactured as a pluralityof pieces and wherein said pieces are joined by joining means so as tomaintain performance of said cable guard rod.
 9. The compound bow ofclaim 1, wherein said cable guard rod is fashioned so as to comprisethree portions, said three portions comprising: (a) a distal portionattached either directly, or indirectly, to said riser and essentiallyperpendicular to said riser; (b) a central portion attached to saiddistal portion and angled relative to said distal portion; and (c) aproximal portion attached to said central portion and angled toward thenatural travel path of said bowstring so as to form an exterior anglewithin the range of 25-40° between said proximal and said distalportions of said cable guard rod.
 10. The compound bow of claim 1,wherein said cable guard slide is mounted on said cable guard rod so asto accept said first cable and said second cable passing therethrough;and, wherein the forward or rearward motion of said first and saidsecond cables causes said cable guard slide to slidably move along saidcable guard rod in an angular path along said cable guard rod relativeto the nock travel path.
 11. The compound bow of claim 1, characterizedin that as said bowstring is drawn rearward by a bow user duringoperation thereof, said plurality of limbs flex rearward, said camsrotate thus shifting said first and said second cables, and causing saidcable guard slide to move toward the natural travel of the bowstringpath along said proximal portion of said cable guard rod.
 12. A cableguard rod for a compound bow, said cable guard rod characterized inthat: (a) said cable guard rod is fashioned so as to support a cableslide at an angle to the travel path of an arrow being discharged bysaid compound bow; and (b) said cable slide is slidably mounted on saidcable guard rod so as to reduce the cantilever load on a set of one ormore cams or wheels.
 13. The cable guard rod of claim 12, wherein saidcable guard rod is made from a material selected from the groupconsisting of: (a) aluminum; (b) a composite; and (c) steel
 14. Thecable guard rod of claim 12, wherein said cable guard rod is affixed toa riser of said compound bow wherein the distal end of said cable guardrod is securably attached to said riser by inserting said distal endwithin an opening of said riser.
 15. The cable guard rod of claim 12,wherein said cable guard rod is attached to a riser of said compound bowby securably inserting said rod within a supporting block and mountingsaid supporting block on said riser.
 16. The cable guard rod of claim12, wherein said cable guard rod is fashioned so as to comprise threeportions, said three portions comprising: (a) a distal portion attachedeither directly, or indirectly, to said riser and essentiallyperpendicular to said riser; (b) a central portion attached to saiddistal portion and angled relative to said distal portion; and (c) aproximal portion attached to said central portion and angled so as toform an exterior angle within the range of 25-40° between said proximaland said distal portions of said cable guard rod.
 17. A method ofcorrecting the angled nock travel of a compound bow so as to beessentially aligned with the natural nock travel of said compound bow,said compound bow having a riser, an upper limb, a lower limb, a firstcable, a second cable, and a set of one or more cams or wheels, saidmethod comprising the steps of: (a) mounting a cable guard rod on saidcompound bow, said cable guard rod having a distal portion attached tosaid riser, a central portion, and a proximal portion; (b) mounting acable slide on said cable guard rod so as to support said cable slide atan angle to the travel path of an arrow being discharged by saidcompound bow, and wherein said arrow comprises a shaft and a set offletching, and wherein said cable slide is slidably mounted on saidcable guard rod so as to reduce the cantilever load on said set of oneor more cams or wheels; (c) drawing a bowstring connected at one end tosaid upper limb of said compound bow and at the opposite end to saidlower limb of said compound bow, and causing said upper limb and saidlower limb to flex rearward; (d) rotating said at least one cam, so asto shift said first and said second cables, and causing said cable guardslide to move in a downward path along the proximal portion of saidcable guard rod; and (e) releasing said bowstring to propel saidbowstring and said arrow forward and causing said first and said secondcables to move forward and, in turn, moving said cable slide upwardalong said cable guard rod to allow said arrow to move forward withoutmaking contact with said cable slide.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein said cable guard rod is fashioned so as to comprise threeportions, said three portions comprising: (a) a distal portion attachedeither directly, or indirectly, to said riser and essentiallyperpendicular to said riser; (b) a central portion attached to saiddistal portion and angled upward relative to said distal portion; and(c) a proximal portion attached to said central portion and angleddownward so as to form an exterior angle within the range of 25-40°between said proximal and said distal portions of said cable guard rod.19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of manufacturingsaid cable guard rod from a material selected from the group consistingof: (a) aluminum; (b) a composite; and (c) steel.
 20. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising the step of correcting the natural nocktravel of said compound bow by said angular movement of said cableslide.